Youthlinc

Nonprofit Issues:

Address:

1140 E. Brickyard Rd. # 76 Salt Lake CityUT84106USA

Mission:

The mission of Youthlinc is to create lifetime humanitarians.
Our core programs (Local & International Service Year, Utah Local Service Directory, Young Humanitarian Award, Real Life teen refugee mentoring program) are based in principles from educational and service learning research: student leadership, hands on sustained service which creates an emotional bond, mentoring, project based and cooperative learning.

Results:

Each year, 200 Youthlinc students contribute over 15,000 hours of service in Utah, becoming relied upon volunteers for over 100 community service agencies.
Each year, Youthlinc Service Year teams contribute nearly $400,000 in water projects, construction projects, vocational training and equipment, special needs services, school and medical supplies, small loans, and other quality of life initiatives in partnership with impoverished communities in Cambodia, Guatemala, Kenya, Peru, Vietnam and Thailand.
Our online Utah Local Service Directory is a resource of student friendly service sites recommended for young people by young people for hands on service in a positive mentoring atmosphere. This resource is available for everyone in the state, and allows volunteers to log, track, and verify their service hours.
Our Young Humanitarian Award annually recognizes Utah young people who excel at giving back with a $5,000 college scholarship and three $1,000 runner up awards.
Our Real Life teen refugee mentoring program pairs Utah young people with underserved teens in South Salt Lake to deliver a fun and interactive life skills curriculum including financial literacy, health and hygiene, job and college preparation, social skills, and cross cultural activities.
Though only 5% -20% of our incoming class of students each year have had any significant volunteering experience, 60-93% of our alums continue to serve in their communities.

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Reviews for Youthlinc

Youthlinc is an incredible organization. I was a participant for the 2015 service year. I went to Cambodia, and it was incredible. Youthlinc helped me all along the way and they truly do an amazing job. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to work with Youthlinc. Life changing!

My son participated in the Nepal July group with Youthlinc. The team was assembled before the devastating earthquake. The communication with parents after the earthquake was outstanding. The leadership for the team was wonderful.

The structure of Youthlinc's program is fantastic! I was so impressed prior to the team's departure and am even more so now they are home. Kids are engrossed in service prior to leaving. This continues on the service trip. These kids worked very, very hard for the villagers in Suntakhan village. They met many new friends.

Youthlinc has shown me how I want to spend the rest of my life: serving others. I could not be more grateful to this organization and to the wonderful people who help make it what it is.

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1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
August 13, 201408/13/2014

I have been volunteering with Youthlinc for years and I couldn't be happier with the results within the community, the international community, the mentors, the students, and their parents. Youthlinc changes lives all over. One of the best parts of Youthlinc is the required community service hours--giving back to the community before going abroad.

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This organization has helped me realize the importance of service and what it can do for your own community as well as international communities. It was a wonderful learning experience for me and I will surly do this again!

Youthlinc provides an amazing opportunity for youth and adults to come together and work on creating a better world by doing local and international service. You may think that the international trip is the whole reason for all of the work that you do, but really, that's just an added benefit. Doing service anywhere and everywhere is the main reason for even joining Youthlinc and you should enjoy giving your all to help others. I loved being a part of the Youthlinc team and helping those around me both internationally and locally. I loved getting to know the people and youth I worked with on a much deeper level at my main service site. I loved creating bonds with the people on my team, and with those we worked with at our international site. In all, Youthlinc is an amazing program and by participating, you will gain new opportunities that you may never get again in your lifetime.

I served as a mentor in the Youthlinc Guatemala 2015 team. I am impressed with both the Youthlinc model and learning philosophy. Students must undertake 80 hours of domestic service prior to their international summer trip along with monthly meetings--this is true committed service and not just a vacation tour masquerading as a service experience. Pedagogically, Youthlinc is very much committed to an engaged learning model coupled with reflection as an intentional piece of the educational process. In Guatemala, Youthlinc partnered with a boot-on-the-ground NGO that was a model for engaged and sustainable development. It was a pleasure all the way around working with the students, community, and NGO as we collectively made a contribution the betterment of us all.

I loved the whole youthlinc experience. i think that the organization as a whole is a much better humanitarian group than many others because of the service hours required. I loved my main service site, it was such a fun way to get involved in my community more and serve. I loved the international trip, i loved the leaders on the trip, my group was the best group ever. definitely one of the best experiences i have ever had in my whole life

I served a trip to Thailand in 2014 and now in 2015 returned to Nepal. As an alum leader this time, I had new experiences and responsibility. From the beginning of the year, I knew as an alum leader I was held up to a standard as a leader. This new responsibility helped me focus and direct my attention to my team and I felt more involved. Nepal was a new and wonderful experience. With the recent earthquake, there were many things that I saw that changed my views on everyday life. Many people had lost their homes and family members to the earthquake and were out of hope in their life. The children in the village were loving and accepting to everyone that helped. The love you feel for the children and your team after every trip is unreal, you love them as you would love your family. In Thailand, I spent most of my construction time painting and washing floors. As much as painting and cleaning floors is important and the work still needs to get done, I decided before I went to Nepal that I would spend my time doing hard, intense labor. When it was time for the handwork, I made sure that I was willing and happy to help out. The work was hard and very tiring but the overall experience was great. As much as I was tired, I decided long before that I was going to work as hard as I could. At the end of the trip, I felt like I impacted the team and the overall projects with my work. If I have any advice to give to future Youthlinc participants it would be to work as hard as you can. What you end up getting out the trip is so much better than just sitting around. Your sense of accomplishment and that you helped contribute to something boosts your confidence and overall happiness on the trip.

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1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
July 19, 201407/19/2014

My entire family has always been involved with youthlinc and my sister had previously gone on a trip to Guatemala two years before I was selected to go on my service trip. My sister came home and loved her experience so much I knew I would want to have the same experience as her. Once I was old enough I applied right away and luckily was able to be selected to go on the Thailand July team. All of out meeting throughout the year helped build the excitement to the upcoming trip. Having our 80 hours of service was stressful but well worth it in the end and helped you realize that you don't need to go to an international country to make a difference. Finally we were able to leave on our trip and it reached far beyond my expectations. Everything there was wonderful and I loved every aspect of it. The people and the kids and the whole culture was amazing and I fell in love with the beautiful country.

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Youthlinc is the most amazing way to meet new people and serve others. I had the best experience. You're able to connect with new people and make memories that will last a lifetime. It's a great way to experience different culture and better the lives of others. I would definitely go on a trip again